The Association of Serbian Businessmen in Switzerland celebrated its 35 years of existence. At this celebration, marking a great jubilee and 35 years of successful work, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Switzerland, Goran Bradić, spoke about the political and economic situation and relations with the Swiss Confederation.

‘He said that Serbia was a politically and economically stable country currently facing some negative effects of the adverse circumstances at the international and regional level, same as other EU countries, but also having good crisis defense mechanisms. He recalled the moderate level of external debt, significantly below the 60% of GDP prescribed by the Maastricht convergence criteria, which many EU countries failed to meet. Although inflation is relatively high, i.e. it was around 15% in April, it registers a gradual decline compared to February of this year. He noted the favorable business climate and in particular the development of the domestic IT sector’, announced Serbian Embassy in Switzerland.

‘The Government of the Republic of Serbia is implementing a number of measures to support the economy, including tax incentives, subsidies and regulatory reforms’, said Ambassador Bradić, noting that on 23 May 2023, Serbian Government amended the Decree on determining the criteria for awarding incentives to attract direct investments, thus raising the minimum investment threshold. He stated that the Decree applied to both foreign and domestic investors, and that the allegations often heard from our citizens residing in Switzerland that Serbia only gave incentives to foreign investors were incorrect. In terms of the global trend of ‘nearshoring’, he invited the present Serbian and Swiss businessmen to take note of the advantages of investing in the RS, said the Embassy of Serbia in Bern.

‘Regarding bilateral relations with the host country, Ambassador Bradić said that political relations were good, and economic relations, especially in the field of science and technology, were very good. The level of trade in goods could be significantly higher, and Switzerland is one of Serbia’s most important partners in trade in services. The presence of Swiss investments has been increasing in recent years, although there is considerable room for cooperation development in this area as well. In trade in goods, the value of Serbian exports increased by 75% in the period 2017-2021. In the above period, the total trade grew by 70%, and our imports by 67%. Trade with Switzerland registers a constant deficit on our side. He said that one of the goals of the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Bern and the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Zurich, in addition to attracting foreign investments, was to work on evening out that deficit’, the Embassy statement added.

The Association of Serbian Businessmen presented certificates of appreciation to its prominent members, as well as to the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Bern for their long-term support and assistance in work. A certificate of appreciation was also presented to the former Consul General of the Republic of Serbia in Zurich, Zoran Jeremić. This celebration was also attended by A. Kontić, consul for economic affairs at the Zurich Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia.

Source: Rasejanje.info

Photo: Association of Serbian Businessmen in Switzerland